08/02/2010 by D.

- Quick note on the spices; you can use dried chilli and ginger, and pre-ground spices if that’s what you’ve got.  The taste is more zingy with the fresh stuff!
2 Onions
3 fat Garlic cloves
1 inch Fresh Ginger
4 Potatoes
4 Carrots
any other seasonal veg (sweet potato, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, celeriac, squash, spinach etc)
2 tbsp Oil
2 Fresh Chilli (to taste)
1 tsp Coriander seed
1 tsp Cumin seed
1 tsp Cardamom pods (green)
(optional tin of tomatoes and a tin of coconut cream – the curry is richer with, but equally good and more authentic without these)
2 veg or beef stock cubes
1 litre boiling water
Salt to taste
(to serve: Fresh coriander leaves, chilli, pitta breads, yoghurt, chutney, basmati rice)
 
Chop the onion finely. Peel and crush the garlic.  Peel the ginger and cut into small matchsticks.  Peel, wash and chop all the remaining veg into roughly the same size pieces.  Place all the above in a big pan and drizzle over the oil. Finely chop chillies and add to pan.

Crush the cardamom pods and discard the husks.  Finely grind the cardamom, cumin and coriander and add to the pan.  Boil the water.  Heat the pan slowly and stir for a couple of minutes until you can smell the spices.  Add the tin of tomatoes, the coconut milk and add the stock cubes to the pan.  Stir.  Pour over the boiling water until all the veg are just covered (depending on your pan it may need more or less than a litre).

Bring to boil again and stir every 10 mins or so.  Simmer for 40 minutes or until the hardest vegetable is done.  Taste and season accordingly (eg salt, more chilli etc).  If you want a thicker curry, crush some of the potatoes against the side of the pan and stir them back in.  For a thinner one, add a little more water.  Adjust seasoning.

Serve in pita pockets, wrap in pastry for samosas or boil up some brown or basmati rice.   You could serve it with some thick yoghurt, chutney, fresh coriander or extra chilli, according to your tastes!

A good side dish with this is a basic dhal (red lentils, whole onion, 2 cloves, stock and water, add the lot and simmer for the same time as the curry, stir regularly and don’t let it dry out).

NB this curry is great for children as they love the taste and will eat all manner of veg like celeriac and parsnips, believing them to be potatoes.  For kids leave most of the chilli out and serve the curry with chopped chillis on the side for the adults.

Posted in Cardamom, Ginger, Cumin, Curry, Coriander, Garlic, Chilli, Potato, Carrot, Onion, Vegetarian, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

27/01/2010 by D.

2 beetroot
2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1 stock cube (beef or veg)
1 ltr boiling water
2 tbsp vinegar

Peel and grate the beetroot, potatoes and carrots.  Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.

In a large soup pan, gently fry the onion and garlic in the oil until glassy, then add the remaining veg and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add the stock, boiling water, vinegar and caraway, bring to a simmer.

Make sure the stock covers all the veg by about 1cm.  If not, add a little more water and leave to boil for an hour, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste.

Serve in bowls with a big dollop of sour cream, smetana or greek yoghurt spooned in at the last minute, and hunks of crusty bread.

This is a beautifully coloured, sweet and sour winter warmer.  It is very filling and has a deep, earthy flavour and reheats well.

You can add a quarter of finely shredded cabbage when you add the other veg, should you have it, but do check the seasoning carefully as you may need a little more stock.

Posted in Beef stock, Cabbage, Caraway, Beetroot, Garlic, Potato, Carrot, Onion, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

05/01/2010 by D.

4 carrots
1/2 cabbage, outer leaves removed
1/2 bunch parsley
1 yellow pepper

Dressing
2 tbsp greek yoghurt
2 tbsp mayonnaise (I use Sainsbury’s French)
2 tbsp salad cream
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix all the dressing ingredients together.  Peel and grate the carrots.  Finely shred the cabbage, parsley leaves and yellow pepper.  Stir into dressing and mix well.  Season to taste.

I love this served with proper oven-baked potatoes, grated strong cheddar, and some toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.  It is also fantastic in pitta pockets with cheese, or in Italian-style ciabatta sandwiches, teamed with a breaded chicken or pork escalope.

Posted in Yoghurt, Cabbage, Mayonnaise, Salad cream, Parsley, Sunflower seeds, Carrot, Vegetarian, Lemon, Pepper, Recipe | Print | No Comments »

29/11/2009 by D.

8 small carrots
2 eating apples
1/2 lemon (juiced)

Peel and grate the carrots; they don’t need to be really finely grated.  Grate the apples the same size (no need to peel).  Mix in the lemon juice to taste (very sour apples only need a little to stop the discolouration).

You can mix in a lemon based vinaigrette if you like (swap out the vinegar element for lemon juice and use a non olive vegetable oil).  I find the fresh carrots and apples at this time of year don’t really need much adornment in that department, but I do like a few toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds served in a side bowl to sprinkle on top.

This salad has a very tangy, lively and fresh flavour and a nice crunch (especially with the seeds), so complements creamy or plainish dishes like baked potatoes, fish pie and pasta bakes.

Posted in Apple, Salad, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Lemon, Recipe, Carrot, Vegetarian, Toddler | Print | No Comments »